Process for making fertilizers.



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. *marfly, in taking a wet mmqniate, inthe JOHN R. YOUNG-,- oF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA.

PRPGESSOF MAKING FERTILIZERS.

To all whom it concern.

Be it known that I, JOHN R.

I YOUNG,- a citizen of the'United States, and

a resident of Norfolk, in the county of Norfolk'a'nd State of. Virginia, have invented a certain new and useful Process of Making Fertilizer,

of which the following is a s ecification.

refuse or waste material of t physical an merchantablecondition with-' My invention relates tot e manufacture of fertilizer in which refuse or Waste materials from packing-house, fisheries or other industries, which are hereinafter termed a m- 'moniates, are employed as ,a source of nitrogen andammonia. I The object of my invention. is two-fold;

first, to utilize as an aminoniateprinci ally 'e' pac 'nghouse, and fisheries industries, (particularly tanka ge, fish-scrap, or fish chum, blood etc.) in the crude'state, as it comes from the press and with its contained'moist-ure (40 to 50%-by Wei ht), and convert'it into'good out the applicationof artificial heat, or other slecial drying process,-which tends to drive a the effective fertilizing" rinciple, whereby I am enabled to effect both a large saving in ammonia, with corresponding increase in market value of the material,- and a reduction in the'.cost of production; second," to combine with said ammoniates substances having the intrinsic qualities not only of'adding fertilizing properties t'o'thecom ination,

but of assimilating'the' fertilizing properties I of theammoniate in a manner to conserve them in greater measure, and reduce a fer tilizing compound ofproper p gsical'condi-- jtioiji forconvenient use. and wit eral ecti've princi les immediately and tini compoundin all the sevformly available to hint life, 7

My invention, t "erefofe, consists, pri

crude state as it comes tram-the press, and therewith bone phosphate of liinsand sul ricfacid, in such aiiiann f that,

by the reciprocal and combined chemical ac-- tiun of the ingredients,- the moisture of the 'ammoniate, togetherwith ammonia, is taken Y 1 g i p oshate is roduced in or assimilated, and an ammcnia-ted sup-ef good ph sical and mere antahle condition. 4 7

More specifically, myin'venticn consists in taking? crude refuse, either from. themeshadshor other fisheries industries, such as fish-scraper fish-chum, or from the packing- Specification of Letters Patent. I

Application filed April 20, 1908. Serial No. 428,097.

Patented Sept. 1, 1908.

house industries such astankage, and utilizing this materialin the wet state, as it comes from the press, as an-ammonia-te, in the compounding of an ammoniated super-phosphate; such compounding being eifected in" such roportions and under such conditions that the moisture of the 'ammoniate is assimilated in the'acid phos hate to such a degree that the mass, after eing allowed to set a suitable time, has acquired the requisite physicalcondition for sale and use, and the ammonia, part of which has heretofore, been driven oil and wasted, and part sealed up by. the hardening of the material in artificial dryin of the ammoniate previous to compounc ing, is conserved in the ammoniate in.

a freer state and made to combine with the phosphate under conditions which make it; available therewith to the plant, instead of being available independen y and only after the ammonia'te has fermented or decayed in theground.

The principal ammoniates that are available in carrying out my invention, may be descibed as follows: Fish scrap and fish churn, are terms appliedfto the residue of fish after being cooked, and having the oil extracted and water pressed out. 'The material is'a by-product chiefly of the menhaden fisheries industry, and 'is largely employed as an ammoniate in the manufacture ,of artificial fertilizers. In the crude state, as

itcomes from the press it is generally called fish chum. in which state it contains about 45to 50 per cent. moisture, 7 to 8 percent. ammonia, and 5 to 7 per cent. phosphoric acids, to 4 per cent. of which 'is already in an available form for plant food. When dried to about 10 per cent. moisture it. is known as dried fish scrap, in which form it is most frequently used. The dried scrap contains, approximately, 10 to 11 percent'f'ammonla and 7 to 9 er (.GIlh-PllOSPhOIiC acid, about 5pm cent. of w ich is usually in an available form. In warm weather, es ecially, crude fish chum soondeco nposes, liecomes utrid and sticky,- and emitsa fou'l odor. his objectionable feature'is. partially overcome by sprinkling the fish churn with weak sulfuric' acid, which also checks the esca e of ammonia. .Whe'n so acidulated, the'c um is commonly known as acid fish. The offensive odor aiid wet stick character-of the crude fish chume-bothp ain and acidula-t'ed are almost prohibitive of its transportation and pressure in. order to expel as much water as possible, the residue or ress cake, as it is termed, is crushed or bro en up, then passed to the drier from which it emerges as dried .tankage.

Tankage contains both ammonia and phosphoric acid (or its equivalent in bone phosphate of lime) in varyin percentage according to relativev amount of nitrogenous and phosphatic matters contained therein.

The wet ammoniates described, shrink in weight 35 to per cent. from the raw to the commercially dried material and lose several per cent. of their ammonia. The value of the ammoniates described, is dependent upon the units (or percentage) of ammonia contained therein. The objectionable features possessedby the raw materials and the expense of reducing them to good physical and transportable condition, make the crude or undried ammoniates of comparatively small commercial value. For example, ammonia obtained from crude fish costs, usually, from 30 to 40 cents per unit less than when obtained from the dried material; hence, with the percentage of ammonia in dried 1 fish scrap (about 10 percent.) ammonia obtained from this source costs from three to four dollars er ton morethan when obtained from the v c 5 posed largely of phosphate of lime, preference,

cru e or undried material, and when it is remembered that a relatively large percentage of ammonia is driven ofl'by the drying process, the advantage of using the crude or green, press-cake is seen to be even greater than stated.

In carrying out my invention, I employ the ammoniates herein described, either singly or in combination, in the crude or undried form, or state of moisture, substan-- tlally as they comefrom the press, and I y the follow-' however, being given to phosphate rock and animal bone, in any of the various forms.

As different materials vary in per cent. of phosphate of lime, the proportions of the ingredients of the compoundmay be varied to suit the strength of material used and amount of bone phosphate or phosphoric acid desired. Approximately, the bone phosphate and acid should be about the same in weight and sufficient of the ammoniate used to furnish one-.

half as much water,- as hereinafter explained.

The quantity of ammoniate may be varied according to its per cent of moisture, which usually is from 45 to 50 per cent. of itsweight, as it comes from the press, and according to the amount of ammonia desired. It.is imthe mass begins to tlicken and settle, the

charge is drawn off into the den beneath .the mixer, Where the product of the days mixing is allowed to set over night. The finished material is then transferred to the dump or pile, where it remains until properly seasoned, oruntil the pile has lost its heat. The compound will then be in fine mechanical and merchantable condition, deing light, dry, and porous. V

The chemical action and changes resulting fromthe compounding of crude fish scrap, plain or acidulated, with bone phosphate of lime and strong sulfuric acid, as herein described, may be thus explained:

First: The free ammonia of the fish is converted into a sulfate, thereby fixing it and preventing loss by volatilization.

Second: The phosphate of lime being acted upon by the sulfuric acid, 'superphosphate.

and sulfate of lime are formed, thereby rendering the phosphoric acid soluble and available as plant food.

Third: The carbonate of lime contained in the phosphatic material also being decomposed by the sulfuric acid, additional sulfate of lime is formed. The liberated carbonic acid gas, (carbon dioxid) escaping throughout the mass makes it light and porous.

Fourth: Sulfate of lime, especially in the nascent state, has a strong affinity for water. The large percentage of it formed in the compound aids effectually in reducing the moisture and setting the mass. 1

Fifth: The heat generated bythe resulting chemical action in resence of organic matter, causes a deoxi 'ation of a portionof the available the valuable fertilizing materials named, in much more effective condition than heretofore obtained by merelymixingthe ammoniate with the product of phosphate of lime and sulfuric acid-or acid phosphate. In former processes employing these materials, neither the ammoniate nor the acid phosphate undergo any chemical change of condition, each ingredient retaining, in the mixture, its original character and properties. The ingredlents of my compound are chemically and inseparably united in one uniform substance possessing the combined valuable properties of indistinguishable ingredients. A superphosphate, or acid phosphate, is a compound resulting from the decomposition of phosphate of lime by sulfuric acid. When an ammoniate is decomposed jointly, or by the same reagent,

with the phosphate the compound formed is an ammoniated superphosphate.

In the decomposition of the ammoniate and phosphate of lime by the sulfuric acid, soluble phosphates and sulfates are formed. Water is a constituent or essential part of these salts, and is taken up in large quantity, by the sulfate of lime especially, as water of crystallization hence, in making acid phosph ate, or superphosphate, the water necessary to complete chemical action must be supplied. By the best methods in general use this is done either byemploying acid rcduccd or diluted to about 50, Baum (at which strengtlrit carries about the right 1 amount of water-or 50 lbs. to 1 lbs. of

(36 acid-); or the requisite water is added separately.

l. depart from the present method of employing a wet ammoniate,'by which I mean an ammoniate having the requisite moisture inherent in it as a result of its production, and I utilize this inherent moisture as the Water required in chemical action, instead of passing the material through the drier and driving off its water (and a good part of its ammonia as well) and then pumping water back into the mixing pan with the acid. I eliminate the drier altogether and pass the wet material directly to the mixer, where chemical action, in supplying its own needs, dries out the ammoniate far more effectually than is done by the drier, which results in a large. saving in labor and fuel, a saving of ammonia, and an improved condition of the finished material.

The quantity of water required in chemical action depends on the amount of phosphate of lime decomposed. In its decomposition the phosphate of lime requires, approximately, an equal weight of 66 acid, and one half as much water. To illustrate: 1,000 pounds of phosphate rock of 70per cent. strength would require about 700 pounds of 66 acid and one half as much water-or 350 pounds which is sufficient for chemical requirement, evaporation, and ultimate moisture in the finished product,about per cent.

My invention possesses the important advantage of depriving crude ammoniates of their'offensive odor, and other objectionable properties, and rendering them light and dry so that they can be easily milled and sown by machinery or from the hand "without offense to the person, these results being accomplished by the addition of only such substances as add to their value as a fertilizer, while they retain all their own valuable fertilizirrg properties.

There is an important difference over the prior art in my method of taking the press cake of animal matter, with its contained moisture, and mixing them with the finely pulverized bone phosphate of lime, and then subjecting such mixture to the action of strong sulfuric acid, for, by so doing, the moisture of the ammoniate is given up to the re-action only as called for, being drawn therefrom 'graduallyby degrees, as required in the formation of the resulting salts, sulfate of lime ,especially; hence, the acid, not being weakened through excessive dilution, attack the bone phosphate infull strength, more vigorously and effectively, with the result that a much larger proportion of phosphates is put into available form.

Ilcretofore it has been customary to take dried animalmatter and to dilute theacid withthc necessary water before adding it, and it has been proposed to take liquid containing ammoniate in solution and treat it with relatively a small quantity of acid to render soluble the contained ammonia, and to mix this with phosphatic material. But these are not the equivalent of my invention. By my process the nitrogen and ammonia are more fully preserved, and a much larger percentage of available phosphatic acid se-- cured than is attainable by former methods. To explain more fully, by avoiding the use of liquid animal matter, such as animal juice or broth, urine, ammoniacal liquors,

tank waters, or other forms of fluid animal matter, wherein water is contained largely in excess of the solid matters, and employing only the solic portion, or residue, of animal matter, herein described, remaining in the form of press cake after as much as possible of the water, or "fiuid part, has been expelled by pressure, and containing only such water as is held by absorption, I

treat, as far as practicable, the solid matters only, and produce a fertilizing compound wherein are combined the concentrated valuable properties, or qualities, of its several components in the most effective form and condition for plant food ;.this result being attained without the-agency of artificial heat or the use of absorbents.

Having thusdescribed my invention, What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1s 1. The process of producing ammoniated superphosphate, which consists in decom ing up the water and drying the product in the reaction.

3. The process of producing an ammoniated superphosphate which consists in mixing the press-cake of the herein described animal refuse, without previous drying, with bone phosphate of Time, and subjecting such mixture to the action. of strong sulfuric acid,

thereby.decomposing the bone phos hate and solid animal matters and assimi ating the moisture of the animal matter in the reaction and converting the ingredients substantially as described.

4. The process of producing ammoniated superphosphate, which consists in mixing the following ingredients in the'ordcr named and substantially in the proportions named, to wit :-with about from six hundred to eight hundred pounds of undried press-cake of the herein described refuse animal matter, containing about forty to fifty per cent. moisture, thoroughly incorporate about seven hundred pounds of finely pulverized bone phosphate of lime, and to said mixture add about sevenhundred pounds of strong sul-.

furic acid (preferably 66 Baum), agitating the mass until chemical action partially subsides, then allow the composition to set.

5. The process of producing ammoniated superphosphate, which consists in mixing undried press-cake? of refuse animal matters, as herein described, containing about forty to fifty per cent. moisture, with finely ground or pulverized bone phosphate oflime, and then adding to said mixture sufiicienti strong sulfuric acid to decompose'theentire mass, producmg 1n the re-action'soluble hosphates of lime, sulfate of lime, and su fate of am-.

monia and sulfurous acid gas.

6; The process of producing ammoniated superphosphate, which consists in mixing the herein described animal ammoniate having absorbed therein an amount of moisture commensurate with that required in the reaction, with bone phosphate of lime, then treating the mixture with strong sulfuric acid thereby decomposing the ammoniate and bone phosphate of lime, and supplying water necessary to support the reaction, as the reaction progresses, by the decomposition of the ammoniate in which the water is absorbed. i

7. The process of producing ammoniated superphosphate, which consists in mixing the, herein described anlmal ammonlate, with.

bone hosphate of lime, treating the compound thus produced with strong sulfuric. acid thereby supplying, as the reaction progresses, a quantity of Water sufficient to prevent carbonizing the animal matter, but not in excess of that which will be assimilated in the re-action.

' The foregoing specification signed at Washington D. C. this 18th day of April, 1908.

. 7 JOHN R. 'YOUNG.

In presence of s HfmvEY S.-KNIGHT, EDWIN S. OLAnKsoN. 

